You Know Him. You Just Don't Realize It Yet. "Drew: The Man Behind The Poster"

Drew: The Man Behind the Poster (2013)
N/R- Documentary...does contain a bit of language and a few artistic nude paintings

Starring Drew Struzan, Harrison Ford, Michael J. Fox, Steven Spielberg

Directed by Erik Sharkey


The Story:

You may not know his name, but you know Drew Struzan's work.  At least assuming you've ever seen a movie poster between the 1970s and now.

This is his story, and it's actually pretty interesting stuff!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I could put my 5 favorite Struzan posters on this review and call it good.



Hmm... I still might...

But that misses the point!

This is the story of a man who made a name for himself by being himself.  A dedicated artist who loved to work, and with a few twists of fate wound up becoming famous in Hollywood, and shaping how fans around the world came to view the movies.



You will hear Michael J. Fox, Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and many, many others gush about how great his work is, and how amazing it is to have Drew complete a poster for their movies.  In fact, it's quite praiseworthy how much they realize they need to make their movies as good as Drew's posters make them out to be.



You will also be amazed at the business venture that Struzan wound up in that went horribly wrong, but had the ultimate revenge at the end.  You can't script a story better than that!

Most remarkable, Struzan seems to be the most humble, likeable guy to ever be in any Hollywood circle.

THAT, is amazing, and elevates this piece even more.  Usually you'll hear someone say, yeah, but he's an @#$@#@#$...



Not here.  There is nothing but universal praise for his body of work and the man himself.

Amusingly, as many point out, even Drew's work on inferior movies never diminished his paintings, which most considered to be better than the movie they represented! :)

Count me as another fan, who is happy after all these years to put a name and face to the man who brought me a lot of joy on movie posters and VHS/DVD cases over the years.

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  I could definitely watch it again, probably a viewing in the near future with my art students is in the works.  A purchase?  It's possible...As I glance Amazon I see they have books that contain his work... and that might be better still. : )